The 640 MEG Shareware Studio 2/The 640 Meg Shareware Studio CD-ROM Volume II (Data Express)(1993).ISO/spirit/thorns.zip/THORNS.TXT

Text File | 1992-10-28 | 18KB | 358 lines

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   Matthew  7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come
    to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
    ravening wolves.
        16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
    gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
       17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
    fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
        18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
    neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
        19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is
    hewn down, and cast into the fire.
        20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

        We want to study the symbol of thorns and thistles.
    Thorns cover all of those weeds which have sharp
    needles. Thistles are those which grab hold and hang on
    to you. We want to study them so we can tell the
    difference between the fruit of a true preacher and the
    fruit of a false preacher.

        This scriptural passage   is dealing with thorns
    pertaining to the inward man. Jesus lets us know, in
    verse 15, that the false prophets come in sheep's
    clothing. Since true preachers are sheep and are in
    sheep's clothing, and false preachers put on sheep's
    clothing, it is hard to determine, by looking on the
    outward aspect of a preacher's life, who is a false
    preacher and who is a true preacher.

        He goes on to say, "...but inwardly they are
    ravening wolves." This "inward" has to do with the
    production of fruit. Let me show you how that can be
    so. A small apple tree, which has just come into
    production, can bear apples just as  large and good as
    a big apple tree. If the big apple tree has not been
    cared for, it may not produce fruit as good as the
    small tree. Some large apple trees cannot produce fruit
    at all, because they are full of disease. The kind of
    fruit produced is the result of what is on the inside.

        Verse 16 reads, "Ye shall know them by their
    fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
    thistles?" He is showing us that the produced fruit is
    either grapes and figs or thorns and thistles. We
    determine who is a true preacher by what he produces.
    If he produces something that is nourishing, grapes and
    figs, he is a true preacher. If he produces thorns and
    thistles, he is a false preacher.

        The thorn symbol is used in the thought of the
    inward  and the outward man. Most people think that
    Paul's thorn in the flesh was just one thing. Paul said
    in II Corinthians 12:7, "And lest I should be exalted
    above measure through the abundance of the revelations,
    there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
    messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be
    exalted above measure." He tells us what his thorn is
    in verse 10, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
    in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in
    distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then
    am I strong." He is showing that these are the things
    which made him weak, so he could be strong in Christ.
    If God had allowed Paul to go without struggles, he
    would have become exalted in himself. He would have
    forgotten that he was depending upon the Lord.
    Therefore, the Lord showed him that he needed this
    thorn in the flesh.

        There is a difference in the thorn spoken of in
    Matthew 7 and the thorn spoken of here in verse 7. The
    thorn in Matthew 7 is a reference to the inward,
    spiritual man. It is possible for the lost person to
    have a thorn in the flesh and a thorn in his spirit.
    However, Paul has a thorn in the flesh, but he does not
    have one in the spirit. A lost person always has a
    thorn in the spirit, but he might not have a thorn in
    the flesh. A Christian can only have a thorn in the
    flesh.

        Almost every Christian living in this day and time
    has a thorn in the flesh. Why? For the same reason that
    Paul had one, "...lest I should be exalted above
    measure" (verse 7). What is going to happen if a child
    of God begins to feel that he can make it on his own?
    The Lord is going to give him a thorn in the flesh. God
    will pour out oppositions, infirmities, persecutions,
    etc. The more he becomes lifted up in himself, the more
    thorns he will have poured out upon him.

         When you think of thorns, you think of the
    possibility of hurt and pain, and a waster of soil,
    choking out fruit-bearing plants (When the Bible speaks
    of thorns and thistles, it is not classifying
    everything which has stickers.). You can see why the
    Lord would use this symbol. There are many things in a
    person's life, if they are allowed to come in, which
    can be just like thistles and thorns.

        An alcoholic is fighting thorns and thistles. Many
    alcoholics have a battle both in the flesh and in the
    spirit. Because of their lost condition, their spirit
    wants that sin as much as their flesh wants the
    manifestation of that alcohol. It becomes a spiritual
    thorn, as well as a physical thorn. It clings and hangs
    on tight.     When the Lord saves us, He breaks the
    bondage of sin. He cleans up our life, in the sense
    that He gives us a new heart, so we are broken loose
    from the bondage of the thistles and thorns in our
    spirit. Sometimes there are little particles in our
    flesh that we must remove. I have heard people say, "I
    am saved. I have the victory over such-and-such." They
    have the victory over it, but they also have little
    bits of it still hanging on.

        In the parable of the sower, Jesus mentioned the
    third type of ground as thorny ground, "And some [seed]
    fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked
    them" (Matthew 13:7). In verse 22, He gives the
    interpretation of that verse, "He also that received
    seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and
    the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of
    riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." No
    saved person's spirit is bound by the cares of this
    world or the deceitfulness of riches. However, we can
    be influenced in the flesh by the cares of this world
    to a degree greater than what we should be. There are
    certain things that we have to do to be able to exist
    in this life. He is talking about an individual who is
    actually taken over, grabbed and hung on to by the
    thorns.

        Eating can become a thorn. We all have to eat. We
    go about our daily tasks, and from time to time, we
    eat. However, there are people in this world who live
    to eat. This becomes like a thorn that binds them. Some
    people are bound by their job. They would rather work
    than go home to their family. The thorns of this life
    is going beyond what are necessities for this life. He
    said that these people were choked by their thorns. The
    thorns were not productive in themselves, but they were
    killing and destroying that which was productive.

        Let us look and see where these thorns originated.
    Genesis 3:18 states, "Thorns also and thistles shall it
    bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the
    field." Because the world had become polluted by sin,
    God was going to allow something to exist which had not
    existed before. Before the fall of Adam and Eve, no
    weeds had ever grown on the face of this earth.

        Matthew 27:29 says, "And when they had plaited a
    crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed
    in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him,
    and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!" When
    Jesus went to the cross,  He had to bear the curse of
    the suffering caused by thorns and thistles as a part
    of Him taking upon himself our punishment and redeeming
    us through his substitutionary work. This means that
    the crown of thorns, symbollically speaking, was not
    something they just happened to put upon his head. The
    crown of thorns was representing that portion of the
    curse that Christ was bearing for you and me. Remember,
    this is dealing with the spiritual. We deserve death
    because of the spiritual thorns, but Christ bore that
    curse, so that we might have life through him.

       Judges 9 tells us about the parable of the trees
    deciding who would be king over them. The olive tree
    did not want to be king, so he refused that
    responsibility. The fig was asked to reign over them,
    but he refused. They then asked the vine, and he
    refused. In verses 14-15, we read: "Then said all the
    trees unto the bramble [that word in the Hebrew is the
    word for thistles], Come thou, and reign over us. And
    the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint
    me king over you, then come and put your trust in my
    shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble,
    and devour the cedars of Lebanon." The bramble
    (thistle) was willing to accept the kingship. The curse
    of sin reigned in the end. Why? Because the trees would
    not stay there by faith and hold to their first choice.

        Adam and Eve had first chosen the tree of life, but
    they began to let down and apostasize. They began to
    let things take place in their lives which took them
    farther and farther from God. Finally, it led them to
    being reigned over by thorns and thistles. Someone
    might say, "They did not apostasize." Sure they did!
    When the serpent began to talk to Eve, she should have
    not talked to him. When the devil starts to put
    thoughts in your mind, do not set there and reason with
    him. If you set there and talk to him long enough, you
    will go from olive, to vine, to bramble in a hurry.

        In Song of Solomon 2:1, Jesus said, "I am the rose
    of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." He is talking
    about himself. In verse 2, He talks about the church,
    "As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the
    daughters." Who is his love? The church. He is
    comparing a lily to thorns. I do not believe the Bible
    could give us a clearer picture of the church than what
    Christ describes here. Someone might say, "Jesus is the
    lily of the valley." That is right, and we are the
    body of  Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The main
    thing that we want to remember is that the lily is far
    from being a thorn.

        We read in Isaiah 55:12-13: "For ye shall go out
    with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains
    and the hills shall break forth before you into
    singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap
    their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir
    tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle
    tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an
    everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." In this
    chapter, he is describing the call to come and feed
    upon the word of God. He is showing  that when God
    sends His word it will not return to Him void. He will
    accomplish that for which He sent it. It will either
    save you or make you worse.

        In verse 12 and 13, he is not speaking literally.
    He is showing us what the experience of salvation will
    do for us. He said instead of a thorn you will have a
    fir tree. What is the fir tree best known for
    symbolically? It is known for everlasting life. Why?
    Because it is "ever"-green.

        Proverbs 26:9 says, "As a thorn goeth up into the
    hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of
    fools." Let us compare this passage of scripture with
    what Jesus teaches in Matthew 7. A drunkard is an
    individual who cannot control his actions. If he grabs
    a thorn bush, he will hurt himself and anyone who is
    near. He said that it was the same as a parable in the
    mouth of fools. Spiritually speaking, the Bible shows
    us that a lost person is a fool. In his heart, every
    lost person is saying that there is no God; therefore,
    biblically speaking, he is a fool. A lost person cannot
    understand the word of God. A false preacher who tries
    to expound upon a parable is going to hurt himself and
    everyone who goes near him. Why? That parable will
    become like a thorn in the hand of a drunkard.

        Proverbs 24:30-31 tells us: "I went by the field of
    the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of
    understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with
    thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and
    the stone wall thereof was broken down." The vineyard
    is a symbol of the true church or one which has
    apostasized, depending on whether the vines are of the
    earth or heaven. God's church has a stone wall.

        Put together Isaiah 60:18, Ephesians 2:18-22, and I
    Peter 2:5-10   show the church built up of a wall of
    stone, which wall is salvation. However, in Proverbs
    24:30, this wall is broken down. What caused the wall
    to  break down and the nettles to cover the vineyard?
    In other words, what caused all this sin and curse to
    come in and destroy the vineyard?      Being slothful
    and void of understanding.

        Again, let us apply this passage with our scripture
    in Matthew 7:15-18. Every pastor has a vineyard. If a
    pastor is slothful, the vineyard will fall apart. He
    will not have understanding to take care of the
    vineyard.

        What do thorns represent? They represent that which
    is harmful, that which hurts, that which clings, and
    that which destroys good soil which could be producing
    good fruit. No matter how well a garden is cultivated
    and planted, weeds will take over, if cultivation  is
    not continued. In our individual life and collectively
    as a congregation, we must have the thorns weeded out.
    Why? Because God wants a pure vineyard.

        Hebrews 6:7-8 states: " For the earth which
    drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and
    bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is
    dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which
    beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto
    cursing; whose end is to be burned." It is giving us a
    picture of two kinds of earth. He says the one kind of
    earth drinks in the rain, which comes oft upon it.
    Isn't that a good picture of a Christian?

        Remember, Deuteronomy 32:1-2: "Give ear, O ye
    heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words
    of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my
    speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon
    the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass."
    God's doctrine is like rain, symbolically speaking. A
    number of passages in the Bible show us that rain
    represents God's word. If we want to be productive,
    God's word should fall often upon our ground. Many
    people think they can go to church occasionally and
    they will be able to produce. However, we cannot
    produce unless we have rain falling often upon us. We
    must be productive and produce good fruit or we will be
    turned over to thorns and thistles.

        Thorns generally grow in dry ground. Look at the
    cactuses. They are a form of thorns. When we are lost,
    we are a desert, bearing thorns and thistles. When the
    water of life is brought into the situation, things
    change. That is why Isaiah 35:1 says,"...and the desert
    shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." Why? Before it
    blossomed, it only had thorns. Once water was applied,
    it blossomed.

        What is the water? Ephesians 5:26 says, "That he
    might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
    by the word." John 7:37-39 says:  "...Jesus stood and
    cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me,
    and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture
    hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
    water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they
    that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost
    was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
    glorified.)" Today, according to Romans 8:9, every
    child of God has the Holy Spirit and the water supply
    is there.

        The need of the hour is to get rid of the thorns. A
    Christian might have thorns in the flesh, but he will
    not have thorns in the spirit. If a spirit is a dry
    place, God is not there.

    You can know the difference between a true preacher and
    a false one by his fruit, which comes from the inward
    man. If he is producing grapes, which is a symbol of
    the word of God, it will fulfill and nourish you. That
    is a sign that he is a true preacher sent from God.